Pope wants presumption of innocence for French Bishop convicted of abuse cover-up


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But many Catholics say the church has diminished its credibility to speak out about moral issues because of a sluggish response to its central crisis. Amid a crescendo of abuse-related cases, Francis’ approval rating has fallen. Though he has taken notable steps to address the issue – writing a letter condemning abuse to the global faithful, holding a four-day summit for leading bishops – he has tended to speak not about specifics of cases, but instead about broader themes of abuse.


The presumption of innocence is a common legal principle, and the pope has emphasised it before. During the abuse summit, Francis presented bishops with “reflection points” – ideas for contending with the crisis. One said the “presumption of innocence must also be safeguarded,” and therefore, “it is necessary to prevent the lists of the accused being published, even by the dioceses, before the preliminary investigation and the definitive condemnation.”


Barbarin, 68, was given a six-month suspended sentence. He was found guilty of covering up for Bernard Preynat, who is accused of abusing children in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Prosecutors had dropped the case, but victims successfully pushed to reopen it, saying Barbarin allowed the priest to stay in his post for too long and didn’t report Preynat’s actions to police.


The pope on Sunday took a defensive posture in explaining a February speech that concluded the sexual-abuse summit. In highly anticipated remarks, Francis described abuse in sweeping terms – as a global crisis, not just something gripping the church.


On the plane, Francis mentioned specific newspaper criticism he received about that speech but said it was correct to diagnose abuse from all angles – not just with measures to improve protection but with consideration of the spiritual reasons abuse takes place.


Article source: http://smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/wattle-day-could-a-new-golden-australia-day-bloom-in-the-springtime-20170831-gy7qnk.html

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